


A Hyrule to the Past

by rlin



Series: Linked Universe [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Legend (Linked Universe) needs a vacation, Light Angst, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Not Beta Read, but only barely mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:15:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28167603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rlin/pseuds/rlin
Summary: Hyrule was lost. He was pretty sure he should have reached the edge of the forest by now, but he was clearly still in it. Which was weird, since he knew he had been heading the right direction the whole time—his compass can attest to that.Legend was grateful for small blessings. Namely, the fact that he hadn't needed to go save anything after his vacation-turned-adventure in Hytopia. He hoped that he could spend the rest of his days not doing work as a hero, but he knew that the Goddesses probably wouldn't let him do that.
Relationships: Hyrule & Legend (Linked Universe)
Series: Linked Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063523
Comments: 15
Kudos: 99





	1. The Lost Traveler

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first fanfic I've written, and this is also the first time I'm using AO3.
> 
> Please enjoy! :D

It was a late afternoon in Hyrule, and Link was pretty sure he was lost.

He wasn’t even sure how he managed to get lost. He had just decided to go hike in the forest northwest of Northern Palace. He had taken the road until he was directly north of it and walked south into the forest.

He should have reached the other end of the forest by now. But he clearly wasn’t, which meant that he made a mistake at some point.

Link checked his compass. Yes, he was still going south.

If he was going the right direction, and he had been walking long enough, which he was, then why hadn’t he emerged out the other side?

Link was starting to get tired, as he had been walking for hours now, and decided to rest for a moment. As he caught his breath, he tried not to worry about the possibility that he might run into one of Ganon’s minions. It still amazed Link that there were still followers of that pig that were trying to resurrect him, even after Link completed his second adventure and retrieved the third part of the Triforce.

To distract himself a bit while he rested, he thought back to Northern Palace, which had become the closest thing the traveler had to a proper home.

The Zeldas were coordinating their efforts to rebuild a devastated Hyrule from that place. To avoid confusion, they had adopted nicknames. The Zelda that Link had rescued from Ganon’s clutches in Death Mountain was nicknamed “Dawn,” while the one he had awakened using the Triforce was nicknamed “Aurora.”

Apparently, part of that rebuilding was teaching Link how to read. Dawn was especially insistent on that.

Link wasn’t a big fan of the literacy classes, but he at least quite enjoyed the stories. The most recent one he read was about a hero several centuries before, who retrieved a sacred blade, slew Ganon, and claimed the Triforce. Link liked hearing about this Hero of Legend, and at this point had read about five of his six adventures.

Oddly enough, nobody seemed to have written anything about his fourth adventure. Link wasn’t sure why.

Of course, Link could only spend so much time being cooped up in one place, even if it was a nice place like Northern Palace. Instead, he did what he loved: wandering. He had been travelling Hyrule enough for him to be pretty good at judging where he was at, so he was pretty good at not getting lost.

Except apparently now.

He stood up and stretched. He had rested long enough, and he didn’t want to risk one of Ganon’s followers finding him,

He continued walking south, hoping that he would manage to find his way out of the forest soon.

△  
△△

Link thankfully found his way out of the forest before sundown, but now he had no idea where he was.

By all means, he should be able to at least see the lake surrounding Northern Palace, but there was no sign of it.

Instead, he had emerged from a small forest that was apparently north of some mountains. There was a road going west and east. There was also a path going south, but it was blocked by a large rock. Link wasn’t sure if his power bracelet would be enough to lift it.

He could also hear someone playing the ocarina nearby. Huh.

Anyway, the traveler decided to go east. He had turned to the north when he noticed two things.

One: the forest he had emerged from was actually quite small. There was no way that was the forest he had entered, and he wasn’t sure how he got there.

Two: North of the forest proudly stood a castle in white and blue. It was mostly surrounded by a river that also acted as a moat.

On top of the castle’s utmost tower was a statue of what Link recognized as the Triforce.

Anyway, he did not recognize either the castle or the forest. Which meant that he was _definitely_ lost.

That might be a bit of a problem.


	2. The Veteran Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Legend had had a couple of glorious years of doing absolutely nothing.
> 
> No adventuring, no saving anything.
> 
> One of these days, however, he was sure he would end up in a seventh adventure, because the goddesses apparently hate him being happy.

Link’s day had been a pretty good one, in that it was perfectly uneventful.

He tried not to dwell too hard on the fact that he considered mundane days to be a good thing. His standards for "mundane" were rather stretched at this point, but years of adventuring will do that to you.

It had been a couple years after he had saved Hyrule (again) and Lorule, and his life was pretty much back to normal. Link was pretty happy that he was allowed to have a life again, but he knew the forces of fate well enough to know that it probably wouldn’t last.

Such was life for the Hero of Legend. At one moment he would be having a perfectly normal day, and one hour later he would be whisked to a distant land to thwart yet another attempt at bringing back Ganon.

Of course, a few months after saving Lorule, he pushed his luck too far by trying to take a vacation in Hytopia, far away from Hyrule and the gossip of its people.

(Link was sure that some people still believed that he had kidnapped Princess Zelda on his first adventure.)

Of course, that hadn’t quite gone to plan. He’d gotten whisked into his sixth and possibly weirdest adventure.

After he returned to Hyrule, he went back to working as a blacksmith’s apprentice. He would need to find a living _somehow_ when he was not off saving Hyrule.

(Or, at least, that’s what he told himself. He collected many rupees throughout his adventures, to the point where he probably could just retire.)

Of course, having a day job served another purpose too. It gave Link something to do, to keep his mind from dwelling on all the trauma the hero went through over his six adventures.

Ravio came and went, too. The merchant spent more time in Lorule, but he still travelled to Hyrule and its surrounding lands to sell his wares (at his usual outrageous prices). He still stayed in the guest bedroom in Link’s house whenever he was in Hyrule.

(Link tried not to think about how the guest bedroom once belonged to his now dead uncle. Apparently losing people close to you is part of the job description of a Hero.)

At this point, Link had managed to confide in Ravio some of the darker parts of his journey, and he talked about most of the traumas he went through, with a major exception. He didn’t even mention Koholint. That was still too painful for him.

He had gone on without having to adventure for a while now. He hoped that the goddesses had finally understood that Link was done with their games, but he was too cynical at this point to ever believe that they were done with him.

△  
△△

There were many things in the forge that were great for distracting Link. Which was wonderful, since it prevented him from dwelling on his past.

This time, he was hammering away at a piece of metal with the blacksmith, slowly shaping the glowing metal into a shape that would eventually become a tool or a weapon.

However, it was starting to get late, so they eventually stopped, and went about closing the forge for the night.

He was on his way home from the forge when he saw a person around Link’s age looking around and checking his compass. He was obviously lost, though Link wasn’t sure how. After all, he should have been able to orient himself using Hyrule Castle, which was just to the north. Pretty hard to not notice the massive blue-and-white castle.

He had a number of items strapped to his back, including a ruby-encrusted sword, and Link could tell that some of them had magical properties. That meant that that person was probably an adventurer like Link was.

The green tunic was horribly familiar, too.

Link cleared his throat loudly to make his presence known. The traveler looked up at him with a mix of surprise and wariness.

“You look very lost,” Link told the traveler.

The traveler nodded awkwardly. It was clear that he wasn’t exactly accustomed to interacting with people.

Link took out his trusty map of Hyrule, the map that served him well in his first and fifth adventures. He showed it to the traveler and pointed out their location.

“You’re just south of Hyrule Castle, and we’re about half an hour’s walk from Kakariko Village, if that’s where you’re looking to go.”

Oddly enough, the traveler only looked more confused. “This… does not look like any part of Hyrule I’ve been to.”

Link raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

He nodded.

Link was getting increasingly confused. “Isn’t Hyrule Castle one of the most famous landmarks in Hyrule?”

“Really? Never heard of it outside stories of the Hero of Legend.”

Oh.

He probably accidentally time traveled then.

Link asked, “This might be an odd question, but… what year is it?”

The year that the traveler gave was centuries off.

Link raised an eyebrow. “Well, it looks like you’ve somehow managed to get sent a few centuries back in time. Anyway, since it seems like you’re going to be stuck here until we can figure out how to send you back to your original time, I guess we should introduce ourselves. Who are you?”

“A traveler.”

Link smirked. “Okay, _Traveler_ , if we’re going to go with that, then I’m a _veteran adventurer_. In all seriousness, my name's Link.”

The traveler’s eyes widened. “Huh, that’s weird. My name’s Link, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone likes talking about how Four is a smith, but don't forget that Legend was a blacksmith's apprentice in ALBW!


	3. The Hoarder's House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyrule couldn't believe it. This person, right in front of him, was the _Hero of Legend_?
> 
> He was pretty sure that he had misidentified some mushrooms and was hallucinating.

Hyrule was initially not sure what to think about this man who had approached him. Especially the fact that he wasn't wearing pants.

One curious thing about this man was that Hyrule could feel a strong magic presence. It seemed like he was carrying magic items with him. The strongest sources of this magic energy seemed to be the bracelet he was wearing, as well as the three medallions that he was wearing on a necklace.

Another curious thing about him was that he immediately suggested that Hyrule had time travelled about as soon as he had mentioned the stories of the Hero of Legend. Most people wouldn't suggest that. Hyrule didn't even know that time travel was in fact possible.

Well, except now, since he's apparently centuries in the past, around the time of the Hero of Legend.

Hyrule knew surprisingly little about this time, actually. There were only the many tales of the Hero of Legend, and the fact that this was around the start of Hyrule's Golden Age, when the Hyrulean Royal Family had possession of all three parts of the Triforce. But everything had long since faded into legends by Hyrule's time, so he knew surprisingly little about the specifics.

Oh, and there was the fact that this person's name was also Link.

Hyrule tried not to read too much into that. After all, Link couldn't have been too uncommon a name, as it was the name of both the Hero of Legend and the legendary founder of Hyrule. And yet, Hyrule had been travelling for a very long time, but he hadn't run into anyone that also happened to be named Link. There must have been something more going on.

Well, even if he was temporally displaced, that meant that Ganon's servants wouldn't constantly be after him. That was a plus.

Hmm, maybe this was some ridiculously vivid dream. Or maybe he was hallucinating.

He pinched himself, just to make sure. No, nothing happened. He was still trapped in another time walking with another person named Link. Well, it was at least worth a try.

This other Link had graciously offered hospitality to Hyrule until they could figure out how to get him back to his original time, so they were walking to the other Link's house.

To avoid confusion, they had sort of agreed to call each other "Traveler" and "Veteran." The rest of the walk to the house was largely spent in silence, as Hyrule wasn't really used to extended interactions with other people while the veteran didn't exactly seem the conversational type.

△  
△△

The two Links arrived at the veteran's house. Hyrule could feel magic power essentially radiating from this house.

Legend opened the door and turned back to have Hyrule. "Don't touch _anything_." Hyrule simply nodded before following Legend inside.

He looked around and realized why he could feel magic power. The house had shelves upon shelves of magic items. He could count _five_ magic rods (how did he get five magic rods? Even after two adventures the traveler only had one), among other things. He also had three shields and three swords (one of which was magical) displayed on the wall. There were also two ocarinas and a harp, as well as a heart-shaped mask that radiated darkness.

Hyrule was taken out of his astonishment when Legend quipped, "Oh, I have even more items in my shed. I had to build an entire shed just for my items."

He simply stared at the veteran. "What?" Legend asked wryly. "Is there something on my face?"

"How... Just how did you get all of these?"

The other Link shrugged nonchalantly. "Going through six adventures tends to do that to you." And it suddenly clicked.

Hyrule was in the time of Hero of Legend, specifically a couple years after when the Hero had reunited the Triforce and left it in the protection of the Royal Family. And the person who stood in front of him was named Link, which happened to be the name of the Hero. And he had gone through six adventures, just like the legends said the Hero did. (Though again, the legends never said anything about his fourth adventure, except that he was at sea when it happened.) The other Link had also figured that Hyrule came from the future after he mentioned stories of the Hero.

He gaped at the other Link. "No way... You're the Hero of Legend!"

Legend simply smirked. "I was wondering when you would figure it out."

Okay, he probably accidentally ate the wrong mushrooms and was hallucinating. Or he had fallen asleep when he sat down in the middle of the forest and was having an unusually vivid dream.

He pinched himself and muttered, "I've got to be dreaming or something."

The only thing that happened was that Hyrule distinctly noticed Legend's eye twitch at the mention of dreams.

"Well," Legend said snarkily, though it seemed like he was hiding something, "It seems like you're not dreaming. Which means you're staying here until we figure out how to get you to your original time. I guess tomorrow I'll go visit the library, get as much research done on whatever sent you back a few centuries back and how to get you back. And I'll write to Zelda and Nayru. If there's anyone who knows how to undo this, it's either the Princess or the Oracle of Ages. Though Labrynna is pretty far from here..."

He paused. "Oh, if you want me to pick up some other books, feel free to ask."

△  
△△

Legend cooked up dinner. It was nothing special. Indeed, it really didn't taste like much of anything.

It still tasted better than anything Hyrule had made.

Anyway, with dinner came the inevitable conversation. Hyrule was almost used to having to talk during dinner at this point, as the Zeldas had insisted on it.

Almost.

"So," Legend said. "You said that you're a traveler. Have you encountered anything particularly weird or memorable on your travels?"

Hyrule shook his head. "Nothing much, especially compared to your journeys,

The veteran laughed. "Nonsense! You've certainly had at least _some_ interesting experiences! And looking at you, it seems like if your time had a Hero, that would be you."

Hyrule groaned. He really didn't want anyone to know that he was indeed the Hero, but it seemed like the veteran had seen right through his facade.

He took off the glove on his right hand and showed the back of his hand to Legend. There, outlined in red, was the mark of the Triforce.

Legend's eyes widened. "So you _are_ the hero of your time..." He showed the back of his left hand to the traveler. The mark of the Triforce glowed into view.

He put his hand down and ate another bite of dinner before continuing. "Well, it seems like Hyrule went through a crisis in your time, then, for there to be the necessity of a hero. What evil thing attacked Hyrule this time?" Legend was clearly dreading the answer.

"Ganon."

"Ganon. Ganon _again_. That goddess-forsaken _pig_." Legend muttered out a string of increasingly creative curses.

The traveler explained how the Triforce had been split at the end of Hyrule's Golden Age, leading to the kingdom's decline. How Hyrule's decline was accelerated when Ganon was somehow resurrected and lead to a large portion of Hyrule's population to flee to Calatia. How he had to slay Ganon and later claim the Triforce of Courage to reunite the Triforce, and how the Zeldas were working to reverse the kingdom's decline.

"It'll take a lifetime or more," the traveler said. "But we're at least starting."

Legend nodded and stared at his food. He clearly had a lot to think about.


	4. The Importance of Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ve just been thinking… Was there really a point to my adventures, if Ganon would just return and once again bring ruin to Hyrule?”

_Link had slain the Armos Knight and claimed the Face Key. He could turn back and enter the Face Shrine now, but then he noticed that there was a door that went deeper into South Face Shrine. Link decided to check it out._

_It was a darkened room, with a set of stairs. He walked up it and noticed the two unlit torches to his sides. The back wall had some sort of inscription, but it was too dark to read._

_He reached into his bag and grabbed his pouch of magic powder, using it to light the torches._

_The room was now illuminated, making the inscription much more readable. He could recognize the outline of an owl and a large fish. There was text, but he was still too far away to read it._

_He walked up closer to it and examined the text._

TO THE FINDER… THE ISLE OF KOHOLINT, IS BUT AN ILLUSION... HUMAN, MONSTER, SEA, SKY... A SCENE ON THE LID OF A SLEEPER’S EYE... AWAKE THE DREAMER, AND KOHOLINT WILL VANISH MUCH LIKE A BUBBLE ON A NEEDLE... CASTAWAY, YOU SHOULD KNOW THE TRUTH!

_Link simply stared at the inscription in disbelief. No… it couldn’t possibly be true!_

And Legend woke up with a start.

△  
△△

He blinked for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling. No, he wasn’t on Koholint, on his fourth adventure. He was in his house, after a day of smithing, and…

Oh wait.

Right, he had run into a Hero from centuries in the future, who had slain Ganon.

He had had quite a lot to think about that night.

He glanced out the window. It was still dark outside, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.

His mind drifted to what the future hero had told him about his journey. About how Ganon had returned, and Hyrule became a shell of its former self.

Even despite everything that Legend did, Ganon would return. There was a nagging question in his head: what worth was all the struggles he went through if that thrice-accursed pig would only come back later?

Legend yawned and got up. He decided to go sit outside for some fresh aid and took one of his ocarinas on his way out.

He had been outside for a couple hours, looking out at the sunrise and sometimes playing the ocarina, when Hyrule opened the door. He had obviously been looking for Legend.

He took that as his cue to go back inside. His eyes failed to meet Hyrule’s as he passed him.

He decided to distract himself by making breakfast. It turned out as bland as the previous night’s dinner.

What the veteran would give for proper cooking skills.

Apparently Hyrule had noticed that Legend was acting a bit off. He asked, “Is there something wrong?”

Legend wasn’t sure whether to talk or not. He felt like if he told Hyrule his misgivings, the traveler would judge him. But if he didn’t, the traveler would get concerned or might feel uncomfortable.

He decided to risk telling Hyrule. “I’ve just been thinking… Was there really a point to my adventures, if Ganon would just return and once again bring ruin to Hyrule?”

Hyrule’s eyes widened. “Why would you ask that question?”

“Wait, I-”

“Of _course_ there was a point! Hyrule went through many years of prosperity while the Triforce was under the safekeeping of the Royal Family. There’s a reason why everyone in my time looks up to you!”

People looked up to Legend in the future. That actually surprised him.

Hyrule went on. “The legends all speak of you fondly, and there’s a statue of you in Northern Palace and everything! Though they clearly missed a few details…”

There were statues of him in the future. He was distinctly reminded of the statues that were made of him in his adventure in Labrynna.

(Was it his second or third adventure? Legend kept mixing up the order in which he adventured in Holodrum and Labrynna.)

△  
△△

After Hyrule finished reassuring the veteran, they got to business.

Conveniently, the forge wasn’t open today, so Legend and Hyrule had the entire day.

Legend was going to go to the library near Kakariko and find out whether he could find anything. He doubted he would.

He asked the traveler if he wanted other books.

Hyrule asked for books on Hyrulean history and stories regarding past heroes.

“A lot of knowledge of history before the Golden Age has been lost, and I suppose if I bring anything back to my own time it would be a better view of Hyrulean history.”

△  
△△

Legend came back with a stack of books. He hadn’t found anything that would have helped their situation, but per Hyrule’s request he had gotten a stack of books. Their subjects ranged from Hyrule’s creation myth to the Imprisoning War.

While Hyrule started reading the books (Legend couldn’t help but notice that the traveler wasn’t the most fluent of readers), Legend started writing two letters.

_Dear Zelda,_

_A hero from centuries in the future has accidentally found himself in this time. There must be a reason that he got temporally displaced, as this is not the kind of thing that just happens._

_I need to know if there are any reports of odd occurrences in Hyrule or elsewhere. There could be a reason a hero from the future is now in this time._

_Hopefully we can quickly find a way to return him to his proper time. Preferably without me having to go about a_ seventh _adventure._

_I’m also writing to Nayru about this situation. If there’s anyone who knows how to handle time-travel situations, it’s her._

_Also, before you ask, no. I don’t want to look after the Triforce. Please keep it._

_Sincerely,_

_Link_

_Dear Nayru,_

_Sorry I haven’t written to you for a while. Postage to Labrynna is a bit expensive. Unfortunately, I haven’t written this letter just to say hi._

_A hero from centuries in the future accidentally managed to travel back to this time. I might have the Harp of Ages, but that only allows the person who plays it to travel in time. I doubt I could easily teach him how to play the harp and then have him play the Tune of Currents._

_I hope you can help or advise me on how we can get him back to his original time. Preferably without causing any paradoxes, my adventure in Labrynna was headache-inducing enough and I don’t want any more of that._

_I’m also writing to Zelda, to see if there’s any weird situation that might require his presence for some reason._

_Say hello to Ralph for me._

_Sincerely,_

_Link_

Legend, satisfied with the letters, folded them up and placed them into envelopes, where he had already written the addresses. He placed the envelopes in the mailbox outside, and went back in, where he wondered what he would do now.


	5. The Value of Legends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ve finished and sent those letters,” the veteran said, “and I don’t really have anything else to do. So if you have any questions for me, feel free to ask me.”
> 
> That was convenient, since Hyrule had a lot of questions.

Hyrule wasn’t really sure what to expect when he asked the veteran to get books on Hyrule’s history. The decline of Hyrule (the kingdom, not the hero) since its Golden Age had caused nearly all of its history to be lost. Indeed, the existence of the Triforce of Courage itself was forgotten, and Hyrule didn’t even know about the Golden Age until Impa told him about it when he started his second quest.

He had only learned about the Hero of Legend through the books in Northern Palace and through the occasional tales told by people in some of the villages.

Anyway, the traveler was rather surprised when Legend came back from the library near Kakariko carrying a rather large stack of books about Hyrulean history.

Hyrule was now grateful for those literacy lessons that the Zeldas had been so insistent on giving him.

He opened a book about Hyrule’s creation myth. It described how the Goddess of Power forged the land with fire, how the Goddess of Wisdom brought order to the land, and how the Goddess of Courage created life. It also described how the Triforce was the last thing those goddesses created, to finish the creation process.

Hyrule then turned to a book about the Imprisoning War (though it had largely faded into legends) which explained Ganon’s origins.

By the time he was finished, he had a lot of questions answered and a lot of new questions raised. He looked up to see that Legend was looking extremely bored.

“I’ve finished and sent those letters,” the veteran said, “and I don’t really have anything else to do. So if you have any questions for me, feel free to ask me.”

How convenient.

The traveler thought for a moment. “How was Ganon just able to _accidentally_ find the Sacred Realm? How wasn’t there anyone to oppose him?”

Legend shrugged. “Extremely unfortunate coincidence? Anyway, the Sages and Knights opposed him afterwards, though there are a few tales of a ‘fallen hero’ who had tried to stop Ganon from getting the Triforce in the first place but failed. Not sure how true those myths are. Any other questions?”

“The book I just read says that the Sages looked for someone to wield the blade of evil’s bane, but then it skips to the part where the Knights sacrificed themselves to hold Ganon at bay until the Sages sealed them?”

“I guess the Sages didn’t really have time to find a hero to use the Master Sword. That sword is incredibly choosy. I had to go through three dungeons on my first adventure before I could pull it, and even when I did my fifth adventure, I had to do another three dungeons so I could pull the Master Sword _again_.”

“Did you save Holodrum or Labrynna first?”

“I don’t remember. Your guess is as good as mine.”

“One of the books you got me said that the Hylians were the people closest to the goddesses. Why is that? In my time, people only said that the pointy ears made people especially attuned to magic. Are the Hylians closest to the goddesses because they were sensitive to magic or are they sensitive to magic because they were so close to the goddesses?”

“That’s a question for Zelda, not me.”

The traveler took a deep breath. “Is there any reason why I’ve heard stories about all your travels except your fourth adventure?”

Legend raised an eyebrow. “You heard stories about the one in Hytopia?”

“You’re not answering the question.”

Hyrule noticed that Legend’s face was starting to pale.

“My… _fourth_ adventure…”

“Yes, the one after you saved Holodrum and Labrynna.”

“Well… it’s probably a good thing that there aren’t tales of _that_ in your time.” He refused to elaborate.

Well, clearly that was a sensitive subject for the veteran, so Hyrule decided not to prod further.

The traveler instead gestured at the purple heart-shaped mask (which still seemed to radiate dark magic) and the two swords. “What are those?”

Legend took the longer of the two, which had a blue hilt with a curved crossguard. “This is probably the easiest to explain. This is my Tempered Sword, which is the sword that I use when I’m not having to use the Master Sword for whatever reason.” He unsheathed it, showing off its red-orange blade, before putting it back into its scabbard.

He then pointed at the mask. “That’s an evil mask. I’d highly suggest you don’t touch it.”

“Why would you have something like _that_ in your house?”

“What would I do, leave it where I found it where somebody else could find it and probably fall to its temptation and do something terrible with it?”

He then took the other sword and held it in his hands. It was a shortsword with a golden hilt and a black gem inlaid into its crossguard and its pommel. The grip, instead of being wrapped in leather like the Tempered Sword was, was wrapped in some white cloth that was tied off near the pommel, though there was some extra cloth that hung from the end of the grip.

Legend unsheathed it, showing an iridescent blade. The light reflected off it prismatically in shades of green, red, blue, and violet. He then spoke.

“I found this around the end of my first adventure, in a place called the ‘Palace of the Four Sword,’ which I guess means that this sword is called the Four Sword. I don’t know a lot about it, actually, but I believe it can split into four and could be wielded by four people at the same time.”

“Really?” asked Hyrule. “How do you know?”

“When I adventured into the Palace, I recovered four swords just like this one, except the gems were colored. When I reached the boss room of the Palace, the swords flew beyond my grasp and I had to fight four shadow copies of myself, each wielding one of those four swords.”

Hyrule winced. “The final enemy I fought before reclaiming the Triforce of Courage was a shadow copy of myself. He was probably the most difficult foe I’ve faced.”

Legend nodded. “Like that, but, for some reason, they were shorter? Anyway, after I defeated those four, the swords merged and formed this sword.” He sheathed the sword. “I don’t really know how to use its true power, but the Tempered Sword and my magic items are more than enough for me. Anyway, do you have any other questions?”

“I’ve heard of you in legends, so I’m wondering if you yourself have heard of heroes in stories.”

“Well, I’m named after the legendary founder and first king of Hyrule. He is sometimes said to have been a hero before he founded the kingdom, but what he did is lost to time. This sword,” Legend pointed at the Four Sword, “may have been wielded by a hero, and I’ve already told you about stories of a ‘Fallen Hero.’ Of course, I’m not sure whether those myths of the founder of Hyrule or the Fallen Hero are true, and most of what I’ve said about the Four Sword is speculation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was largely based off of the state of Zelda lore when _A Link To The Past_ was released, including its account of the Imprisoning War.
> 
> It's worth considering the changes NOA made when localizing the manual for A Link To The Past, as they made a few inconsistencies with later lore. You can read a comparison of translations and the localization [here](http://www.zeldalegends.net/view/text/z3translation/z3_manual_story.html).
> 
> Of course, that differs from later established canon, especially with how _Hyrule Historia_ placed _A Link To The Past_ in a timeline where the Hero of Time failed, so I'm working with the assumption that these differing histories are a result of stories getting distorted by time.
> 
> It's not said whether Palace of the Four Sword is canon, but I decided that it would be more interesting if he had it, especially for the future.


	6. The Sacred Blade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They stood in a grove, deep in the forest. And in front of them stood a pedestal, where the Master Sword itself slept.
> 
> It sat under a slanted pillar of light that filtered through the forest canopy, like it always had. It just seemed so fitting there.
> 
> “This is it,” Legend said. “This is the Blade of Evil’s Bane.”

Legend was secretly happy that Hyrule didn’t pry further about his fourth adventure. He had insisted on keeping it his dark secret, one that nobody must know. Not even Ravio knew, and the merchant knew more than anyone what the hero had experienced and lost.

Hyrule would not forgive him if he found out. After all, how could he, not when Legend himself could bring himself to forgive himself?

The veteran was grateful that there were no stories of that in Hyrule’s time.

He felt that he was a bit too enthusiastic when Hyrule changed the subject, asking about the evil mask and the Four Sword. Legend even brought himself to confide in the traveler about the mysterious blade.

He could only say so much about it, however, since there were many unanswered questions. Like why those shadows that used the sword in the boss room of the Palace of the Four Sword didn’t quite look like him, and yet looked very familiar.

Why they seemed to recognize him.

Legend wasn’t sure if he wanted answers. Sometimes, things were better off just being unknown.

Just like how he had read that plaque in Southern Face Shrine because of his own curiosity.

He forcefully emptied his mind before it could be overwhelmed by thoughts relating to Koholint. That was the past now, so he couldn’t really do anything about it. Or at least not without time travel, but he had had way too much experience with that and knew that would just cause more problems.

Legend was thankfully saved from dwelling further on past things when Hyrule asked him something else.

“So the legends in my time said that you used a blade that repelled evil, but they don’t say anything about it being particularly unique like the legends in your time did. In fact, I’ve never heard of the name ‘Master Sword’ until you mentioned it today. Do you have any idea why it got forgotten?”

The veteran thought for a moment. “Well, the Master Sword had largely faded from legends by my time, and I had only heard of it for a couple of times until I got the sword myself. Apparently in the Imprisoning War the Sages themselves didn’t even remember where the Master Sword was. Also- wait. If you haven’t heard of the Master Sword outside of those legends of me, doesn’t that mean that you didn’t use it?”

The traveler looked embarrassed. Oh no, that was a poor choice of words. “No, I guess I’m not as great a hero as you are, if I haven’t wielded the sword.”

Legend quickly backpedaled. “If you were able to kill Ganon without it, the sword can’t have been that important.”

△  
△△

The conversation took an interesting turn from there and before they knew it Legend had agreed to show Hyrule the Master Sword.

Legend handed the traveler a map of Hyrule, just in case. Hyrule (the person) objected to needing a map, but Legend was insistent.

“Look, you may be familiar with the layout of Hyrule in your time, but you aren’t familiar with places in my time. You were hopelessly lost when I found you, and I don’t think that’ll change any time soon.”

Legend and Hyrule then went out towards the northwest, towards the Lost Woods.

Much to his chagrin, Legend found out that Hyrule had a tendency of wandering off. He liked exploring the space around him, which may have been fine and all, but they were trying to go to a set destination and Hyrule’s wandering was wasting time.

As they reached the edge of the woods, Legend grabbed Hyrule’s arm. “I can’t have you wandering off here. I _need_ to make sure that you’re still here, as this forest is very disorienting.”

Legend led Hyrule through a path he had tread already.

Finally, they were at their destination.

They stood in a grove, deep in the forest. And in front of them stood a pedestal, where the Master Sword itself slept.

It sat under a slanted pillar of light that filtered through the forest canopy, like it always had. It just seemed so _fitting_ there.

“This is it,” Legend said. “This is the Blade of Evil’s Bane.”

Hyrule stared at awe. “You pulled it from its rest twice?”

“Yes,” the veteran nodded. “I also put away the three Pendants that I needed to pull the sword, so when I went on my fourth adventure, I had to retrieve them again so I could get the sword again.”

“Huh.”

Hyrule closely examined the sword. It seemed to bathe in the sunlight, and almost seemed to give off light of its own.

△  
△△

After they left the Lost Woods, Legend showed the traveler around Kakariko a bit. Apparently the village was more populated than the villages in Hyrule’s time, so Hyrule seemed rather amazed at the size of the village.

It was starting to get late, so the two started going back to Legend’s house.

As he stepped in, Legend noticed that there was a letter on his doormat. It was probably a reply to the letters he sent earlier.

Once he was inside, he checked the envelope. The wax seal was imprinted with the royal crest of Hyrule, the familiar image of the Triforce with a winged figure below it.

So it was from Zelda, then.

He noticed that Hyrule was looking at it inquisitively. “I seem to have gotten a reply from Zelda,” the veteran explained.

Legend then tore open the envelope and read the letter inside.

_Dear Link,_

_There may be a reason for these odd events. I have been receiving visions and dreams through the Triforce of Wisdom and probably would have written to you about them soon had you not written to me first._

_I have not heard of any particularly worrying monster sightings recently, but there have been a few more than usual. This may be connected to my visions and these strange happenings._

_I believe it is for the best that we discuss these matters further within Hyrule Castle. My schedule is full for the time being, but I have time to discuss these important matters in a couple of days. Make sure to bring your time-travelling companion with you._

_I have also written to Nayru asking her to come here. I believe she will be able to be here in a few days, and her abilities will be of particular use here._

_Sincerely,_

_Princess Zelda_

Legend glanced up from the letter and told Hyrule, “Well, Zelda apparently wants to talk to us in Hyrule Castle. Hopefully we’ll find out what’s causing these events and get you back to when you belong.”


	7. The Castle in Blue and White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fable tuned to Hyrule. “You’re the hero from the future Link was talking about, I assume?”
> 
> Hyrule nodded.

Hyrule Castle was visible from every part of Hyrule. Its high towers and blue roofs gave off a feeling of majesty and power. It was a symbol of the kingdom, and a reminder of the presence of the royal family.

It looked even more massive up close, the traveler decided.

As Legend led him through the courtyard, Hyrule looked around and took in the carefully maintained trees that were planted in the yard.

There was an old woman waiting at the gate. Presumably the Impa of this time.

“Ah, Link,” Impa said. “The Princess has been expecting you.” She opened the doors and led the two Links into the lobby.

“I’ll go tell the Princess that you’re here, so wait just a moment.” Impa left the room.

Hyrule looked around the lobby. It was richly decorated with paintings depicting a familiar blue pig monster being slain by a boy clad in green wielding a sword.

“That’s me,” Legend noted. “These were made after I defeated Ganon the first time. Zelda had some more made after my fifth adventure. I swear, one of these days she’ll commission a life-size statue of me.”

Impa walked back into the chamber. “The Princess is ready to see you.” She escorted the two heroes to a conference room, a richly decorated room with a table and chairs. There were refreshments on the table.

Seated in one of the chairs was Fable, the Zelda of this time. She gave off strong magic, one that Hyrule recognized was of the Triforce.

Hyrule kneeled (he figured he probably should), but he noticed that Legend stayed standing.

“Please be seated,” Fable said pleasantly.

Once they were seated, both Legend and Fable poured themselves some tea. Hyrule decided to have some, too.

Fable tuned to Hyrule. “You’re the hero from the future Link was talking about, I assume?”

Hyrule nodded.

“What’s your name?”

“Link.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Can’t be too uncommon a name, being both the name of the Hero of Legend,” Fable waved her hand over at Legend, “And also the legendary founder of Hyrule.”

“I’m right here, you know,” Legend muttered.

“It's a good, heroic name. But I digress,” Fable said. “I brought you two here for a reason. For the past few days, I’ve been having dreams of dark portals. There was a shadow creating them, and that shadow was fighting several people. One of them was Link, and our time traveler here was another one of them. I believe this is the Triforce of Wisdom warning me of a danger to come.”

Legend muttered something about prophetic dreams and then asked, “Does this mean I have to go on a seventh quest?”

“Unfortunately, it appears so.”

The veteran abruptly excused himself.

Fable and Hyrule watched Legend quickly leave the room.

Hyrule broke the silence first. “Where is he going?”

The Princess sipped her tea. “He needs… a bit of time to accept that. I suspect that he’ll be shouting curses and obscenities at the heavens.”

“Why?” Hyrule was taken aback.

“Link has been, erm, rather _bitter_ about his role as a hero since his fourth adventure,” Fable explained. “He was rather reluctant to embark on his fifth quest and he did not like having to do his sixth quest well at all.”

“Anyway,” Fable changed the topic. “While Link vents his emotions at the sky, why don’t you tell me what things are like in your time?”

Hyrule explained Hyrulian history from the Golden Age on, and then told her about his two adventures.

Fable nodded. “Well, it’s good to hear that, despite everything Hyrule goes through after this time, the kingdom is on its way to recovery.”

“Aren’t you worried that Vet- Link will get lost finding his way back here?”

She shook her head. “No, he knows his way around here pretty well.”

As if on cue, Legend walked back into the room. He was still muttering something about uncaring goddesses and some flying fish.

Fable raised an eyebrow. “I think you shouted at the sky with record speed this time.”

The veteran rolled his eyes. “And maybe _this_ time since you have the entire Triforce you can try to _not_ get kidnapped again?”

The princess snapped her fingers and the tips of her fingers suddenly were covered in flames. They were gone almost as soon as they had appeared.

“I think I’ll be fine this time,” Fable said, ignoring Hyrule’s amazement at how effortlessly she used that magic.

Before Legend could respond, she went back on topic. “Everything so far seems to indicate that this quest is going to involve time travel, which is why I asked for Nayru to come here. I haven’t heard reports of the black portals I saw in those dreams, so I believe we have a bit of time before this new threat starts popping up.”

Legend piped up. “We should start as soon as we can, so we can find the others you saw in the dream. We should challenge this new threat now, not wait for them to come with us.”

Fable nodded. “Of course. But since one of those people,” she glanced at Hyrule, “came from the future, it appears that they may also be scattered across time. I have no doubt Nayru can get the two of you to another time so you can seek out these heroes.”

Hyrule nodded. “Looks like I’m not getting back to my original time soon, then. Well, I don’t mind having a third adventure as much as the veteran minds having his seventh.” He elbowed the veteran, who squawked in protest.

The princess smiled. “Each of you were more than enough against Ganon, so I strongly believe that you will do well on your quest.”


	8. The Princess and the Oracle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Nayru and I agreed that you two should get a head start on your quest by sending you to another time immediately, instead of waiting for these dark portals," Fable said. "Nayru’s abilities as Oracle of Ages makes this easily accomplished.”

Legend was still quite unhappy over having to go on a seventh adventure. But at least he had plenty of time to prepare, since Nayru would take some time to come. After all, Labrynna was quite distant, and travelling such a distance takes some time.

Fable had insisted that the two Links stay at Hyrule Castle for the rest of the day, but the next morning Legend left to start packing. He knew it would take a very long time, so he wanted to get started as soon as he could.

He had his many items spread out all over his floor, and he was sorting through them. As much as he would want to bring every single item he had, even his bigger-on-the-inside pouches couldn’t fit every single one of them. So he made sure not to bring duplicate items (and boy did he have many).

Hyrule, thank the goddesses, was willing to help him pack. The traveler just had everything he had already with him, so he didn’t have to do any packing.

The veteran already had the Tempered Sword and his Mirror Shield slung onto his back, but he packed a spare shield (the blue one with the golden bird and the Triforce) just in case of unfortunate accidents involving Like Likes. While he was at it, he decided to pack a spare fire rod. One could never be too sure.

Okay, this was probably why he was such a hoarder.

He didn’t pack a spare bow or a spare hookshot, but he did get his switch hook (which was not a hookshot no matter how much it looked like one). He also realized how much his Titan’s Mitts and Magnetic Gloves resembled each other, and almost mixed them up a few times.

Legend was eventually done packing, so he spent the next couple of days showing the traveler around the Hyrule of his time.

They spent a large chunk of the day fishing at Lake Hylia, though Hyrule both didn’t really know how to fish and was fairly afraid of water. It was a fun bonding exercise, even if Legend had to teach Hyrule literally _everything_ about fishing.

Legend himself almost caught a large fish, but alas, it got away. Life just had to have its disappointments.

△  
△△

Nayru and Ralph arrived about 10 minutes after the two Links came to the castle courtyard. Legend hadn’t seen the two since his quest in Labrynna, but it was good to see them again. They took a few minutes to catch up with each other before they went about business.

The two Labrynnans were escorted to a meeting with Zelda to catch them up with everything Zelda had already told the two Links, so Legend decided to pass the time by giving the traveler a tour of the castle.

Fable and Nayru were waiting for the two Links once they got back to the conference room.

“Ah, you’re here. What great timing,” Fable said. “Now that everyone is on the same page, we can start talking about what we can do now. Are both of you packed and ready to adventure immediately?”

The Links nodded. “Good,” Fable said. “Nayru and I agreed that you two should get a head start on your quest by sending you to another time immediately, instead of waiting for these dark portals. Nayru’s abilities as Oracle of Ages makes this easily accomplished.”

“Since the other heroes are scattered throughout the timeline, it may seem trivial for you to find them, as you would just need to travel backwards and forwards.” Nayru noted. “But, due to an… incident that occurred a few centuries ago, it’s going to be a bit more complicated than that.”

“Wait,” Legend said. “A few centuries ago… Wouldn’t that be around when Ganon stole the Triforce?”

“We’re not sure if those events are connected,” Nayru replied. "But yes, it is roughly around that time."

“When do we go?” Hyrule seemed almost eager to take on this new adventure. Good for him, even if Legend couldn’t relate with that sentiment.

Fable answered. “You two will probably be on your way right at the end of this meeting.”

“Anyway,” Nayru said, “I think the best choice for which hero you should meet next is the _other_ one with heavy time travel experience. Even if, well…” She trailed off for a moment. “But never mind about that. That shouldn’t really be an issue.”

“What shouldn’t really be an issue?” Legend asked.

“The timeline is, let’s say, a bit more complicated than it might seem. The explanation of why would take hours. But that shouldn’t pose any serious problems.”

“Well, okay, then. What are we waiting for?”

Nayru used her magic to create a portal on the floor. “Just step on the portal and you’ll be sent to another time.”

Legend had had plenty of experience with those kinds of portals, as he used them all the time in his Labrynnan adventure. But he was pretty sure Hyrule was pretty nervous.

“Well, let’s go,” he told the traveler.

And the two stepped into the portal, and were whisked away to face the unknown together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end, or at least the end of the beginning!
> 
> Be sure to follow along as the rest of the chain gets assembled!
> 
> Thanks to all of you for leaving kudos and comments! Your feedback means a lot to me!


End file.
